On June 22 2017, the Agricultural Policy Research Center (APRC) of the ISET Policy Institute organized a meeting with former Agricultural Concentration students. As is well-known, the APRC was established at the ISET Policy Institute in July 2014 with a three-year grant from USAID to enhance synergy between policy research, professional training, and teaching activities, capitalizing on the institutional strengths of ISET and ISET-PI. The APRC functions in conjunction with the Agricultural Economics Concentration in the ISET MA program. The purpose of the concentration is to educate the next generation of policy leaders in Georgia who understand the complexities, challenges and tradeoffs behind policy decisions in the agricultural sector.

The main purpose of the meeting was to bring together and reconnect all alumni who have taken agricultural concentration and/or are working in agriculture-related fields. The attendees exchanged their work experience and current activities with each other, while recent graduates had an opportunity to see the practical side of their agriculture-related studies. Furthermore, the attendees discussed ideas for improving the design of agricultural economics concentration in order to ensure that students acquire the appropriate skills and competences required in the current job market. With regards to follow-up activities, the participants agreed to create an 'expert pool' to update each other on ongoing processes in the agricultural sector.